Chasing the Dragon
by kaeshin
Summary: A normal heist ends in a strange way, and Conan has to watch as Kid falls over the edge - and suddenly things have changed. Dragons don't exist. Right? KaiShin


**AN:** Alright, here is my first attempt at a DC/MK fic! It's been on my mind for a while now so I wanted to give it a shot~

Let me know if you enjoy it!

* * *

-An Introduction of a Scaley Kind -

The cool, crisp air filled Kid's lungs as he took in a deep breath, and a large grin stretched across his face. Adrenaline still had his blood singing, despite the majority of the race being over, and he threw his arms wide to stretch them as he balanced on the railing, cape and hair whipping around him in the wind.

In one of his many hidden pockets was a heavy, reassuring weight that seemed to emit a soft warmth. Kid had a - _good_ feeling about this one. He'd tried not to get his hopes up, but the moment he'd touched it he just _knew_ that this was no ordinary target. After so long, had he finally… finally found Pandora?

The clouds that were obscuring the moon were finally moved out of the way, and within moments the crystal was in his hand and held up to the light.

A large, natural blue topaz, one of the biggest ever documented, and shaped and polished into the shape of an egg. Creatively called the Dragon's Egg by its owner, this crystal has passed between the hands of many important people over the various decades - maybe even centuries. Kid _hoped_ it was centuries, at least. The crystal's history was very obscure, and it had taken a lot of research and time to dig up what little he could. It had only really popped up into the public eye around two decades ago, and before that there had been only a few pictures - old photographs, old written documents and descriptions that slowly filtered down into nothing. He'd almost ignored it in favour of a different gem that was being advertised a lot more loudly, but on a whim he'd decided to focus his attention on _this_ one.

So he'd sent out his heist notice a week ago, and now… here he was with his prize.

The heist had almost gone as well as his last few - only this time, he'd had the delightful chance to tango with Conan Edogawa once again. It had been a while, and Kid would be lying if he said he hadn't been excited at the brat's appearance. Tantie-kun always proved to be such a wonderful challenge…

There had been something… odd about him though. Just a feeling that he'd given the thief. The boy had looked… exhausted, and ill, for lack of a better word, but as soon as the heist had begun, the boy's demeanor had changed, and he radiated that fiery determination that Kid had come to enjoy so much.

He should catch up to him soon. Kid couldn't wait.

The thief's grin stretched wider as the silvery light of the moon shone through the crystal egg - his heart pounded in trepidation, and his breath caught in his throat. Was it…? There it was - just the barest of flickers. It was said that Pandora would glow red in the moonlight, and this was… this was…

Another flicker. Much clearer this time, but not… not red. No this was… like a deep indigo flame…

The warmth of the crystal altered suddenly - and seemed to intensify rapidly. The heat radiated through Kid's glove, almost to the point of pain, and he almost dropped it in shock just as the door to the roof slammed open. Kid whirled, a creeping panic beginning to cross his mind, before everything flashed white, and that growing heat slammed right into his chest.

* * *

Conan's sides and chest were on fire by the time he'd managed to reach the door to the roof. It was a feeling he had been steadily coming to expect whenever he exerted himself, but damn it he couldn't just let the phantom thief get away without confronting him. Not after the way he'd taunted him before fleeing the scene of chaos he'd left behind with the task force.

As much as he would deny it if asked, he'd been looking forward to the heist. These events had become one of the only normal, enjoyable things in his current, chaotic life, so he wasn't about to let some damn pain interfere with this!

He was stronger than that, damn it!

He clutched the door's handle for just a few moments, gasping in large, painful gulps of air, before shoving the door open with all his strength and staggered out onto the roof.

It took a few, precious seconds for the scene before him to register in the boy's mind. Those lost seconds could prove dangerous in many situations, and this one - may be one.

But he just… what was he seeing?

Conan blinked once. Twice. Again, a third time. Was he hallucinating? Was this another of Kid's illusions?

The Dragon's Egg was glowing faintly, with what looked like deep blue flickers of flame dancing around it - and the hand holding it. The thief himself stood stock still, facing Conan with an expression the boy had never seen cross the thief's face before. His poker face had fully fallen away to reveal an expression of panic, and as he watched the thief's mouth fell open to say something that Conan didn't - _couldn't_ catch. In Kid's hand, the Dragon's Egg flickered, before illuminating the entire rooftop in a flash of blinding white light.

Conan threw his arm up to shield his eyes, and heard the thief cry out - in surprise, and pain.

He didn't think as his legs began to move. Burning lungs and aching heart forgotten, he began running in the direction of the phantom thief's voice. The light was fading, retreating back to the source it had originally emanated from, and just as the boy was feet away from Kid - he staggered to a stop.

Conan gaped in disbelief.

A mix of shining white and flickering indigo surrounded the thief's figure, coiling around and around. The vague impression of scales patterned the sinuous coils, and wings of vast white stretched out, slowly encompassing the shaking form of Kaitou Kid, the feather's sheer enough that the boy could still see the figure they were surrounding. An angular reptilian face hovered right before Kid's own, practically nose to nose, and glowing eyes were riveted to his face.

Kid was staring back, face shadowed by the rim of his hat, but Conan could see his one visible eye was wide.

And then the thing - creature - _dragon_ , Conan's mind labeled distantly - opened it's mouth. Sharp teeth scraped together, and a noise rumbled deep from it's throat; starting out as a faint his, before growing louder, deepening to a bone-chilling growl.

Conan's legs trembled in something akin to fear as an almost primal instinct rose up within him and told him to _run_.

But he didn't listen, and the dragon surged forwards, the wings fully closing around the thief, and just… disappeared. Leaving just Kid, still standing on the railing.

The roof was once again dark, illuminated only by the light from the nearby buildings and full moon above.

Conan seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

Then Kid swayed, pulling Conan from his confused daze, and began to tip backwards - off the railing, and off edge of the roof.

The small detective shouted in surprise and forced his legs into motion, arms stretching out to latch onto the thief's gloved hand as he barely managed to catch himself on the railing. Letting out a determined grunt, the boy tried tugging at his arm in an attempt to pull him up.

Of all the times to be small…!

"Tantie-kun…?" Kid's voice was faint, nearly a whisper as he stared up at the boy with confusion. It was a complete mystery how his hat and monocle managed to stay in place. His one visible eye was clouded over , his expression dazed - out of it. It may have been the dim lighting, but Conan swore he saw the thief's pupil flicker, and change shape - just a little.

But the boy dismissed it from his mind rather quickly. None of - _whatever the hell just happened_ mattered at the moment; He could try and make sense of it all later. If Kid didn't hurry up and pull himself up, he was going to fall!

"Come on, get up!" He grunted furiously and tugged again. He could feel the thief's grip weakening, and it just made him tug harder.

Kid's lips quirked, just a little, and he said in that same faint voice, "Aw, you do care…"

"I can't bring you in if you're dead." Conan snapped in response, voice laced with panic. "Come on you stupid thief, pull yourself up!"

Kid seemed to consider his words for a moment, before he gave the boy a shadow of his usual. "No can do, Tantie-kun. I can't - seem to keep my grip."

The thief's fingers began to slip from the railing, and Conan yelped, clutching onto his glove in a vain attempt to keep his hand right where it was - but it was too late.

Kid's hand slipped right out of the glove, and he dropped.

Conan's stomach sank and he clambered further over the railing, unable to take his eyes off the falling figure, a growing horror making his throat close up and his insides churn, making his heart pound painfully and his lungs burn-

But then, against all odds, he saw Kid manage to twist in mid-air and engage his glider. He wobbled and almost slammed into the corner of the nearby building, but managed to veer out of the way just in time. It was clear he was still very much out of it, but...

When Kid's glider disappeared from view, Conan's legs went weak with relief and he found he couldn't keep himself standing. He slid down onto the ground, leaning against the railing and clutching Kid's glove tightly in his hands.

Belatedly, he realised that the relief he was feeling wasn't exactly - appropriate, but damn it at the moment he didn't care. Kaitou Kid was his… his…

It didn't matter. He'd gotten away without falling to his death, _that's_ what mattered.

That had been…

… what the hell _had_ that been?

A flicker in the moonlight reflecting off something caught Conan's attention, and he tilted his head to observe source, a heavy feeling in his chest.

There was the Dragon's Egg - completely forgotten in the heat of the moment. Conan hadn't realised Kid had dropped it. After a few moments of catching his breath, Conan crawled over and hesitated, before he picked it up. It was cold to the touch, and he shivered a little, before stuffing it and the glove into the pocket of his shorts - just in time for the door to the roof to slam open and for a group of Kid Task Force members to stream out.

Nakamori-keibu was shouting at the top of his lungs, demanding to know where Kid had gone as the task force members spread out to all corners of the roof - and Conan, without thinking, replied, "He got away - flew away with the crystal."

As usual, Nakamori grew red in the face began ranting and shouting profanity about the fact that Kid had gotten away _again_ , and Conan quickly began to ignore it. The task force would probably want to interview him, but for now…

The young detective slowly started through the throng of task force members and back down the steps, deep in thought. He still hadn't recovered from the chase, so his movements were more sluggish than usual - but it allowed him the chance to think without the risk of running into anything.

He shouldn't have lied like that. What he'd done was most definitely illegal, and he was a detective for god's sake, but… What he had seen - wasn't one of Kid's tricks. It couldn't be. The thief liked to deceive people, sure, but… Conan didn't think he'd risk his own life like that for an act to get away. Everything had been all too… real.

But that was just _ridiculous_. Dragons didn't exist. None of what he had seen could be possible.

 _But being de-aged by ten years should also be impossible,_ a thought in the back of Conan's mind reminded him.

What he needed was answers. And he was determined to find them.

There was a distracting worry though, that gnawed at his stomach and made it twist with anxiety.

Was Kid alright?


End file.
